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Friday, 30 November 2012

De Dutch - The Frying Dutchman

Dutch pancakes have arrived in Edmonton. Finally. Most northern European nations have their own version of same, which bear little resemblance to the thick griddlecakes of North America. The French have crepes. My Dad makes featherlight Danish pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream...but only at Christmas. I've indulged many times in Finnish pancakes. Go to Thunder Bay to Hoito (formerly a Finnish social club, given that the largest Finnish population outside the Motherland resides in the Bay of Thunder) to load up on a plate of heaven. Dutch pancakes are similarly large and thin; at De Dutch, they come with innumerable toppings.

We - the "we" being Marlow Moo and I - settle into De Dutch's modern and colourful space and sample pancakes stuffed with smoked salmon and edam cheese. The salmon is velvety, the surrounding cake is a proper foil to its stuffing, and the edam emerges as a pleasant aftertaste.

A perogy-style pancake stuffed with potato, onion and ham doesn't really compare to the perogies of my progenitors, but I can appreciate the concept. Pancakes with strawberries and cream remind me of Christmas morning at my childhood home.

Bitterballen are a Dutch croquette that consists primarily of finely minced, spiced beef, a breadcrumb mantle, and a dip of grainy mustard. The meat's consistency is remarkably smooth and contrasts nicely with the crisp crumb coating.

Finally, we sample Tosties, which are toasted sandwiches, as the name implies. A Tostie generously stuffed with blueberries, onions and cheese is the evening's standout. The sweet blueberries, tangy onions and smooth cheese gleefully play gustatory tug-of-war on their crispy playing field. I am glad to see De Dutch set up shop downtown, as opposed to far off in some suburban complex. That way, I can visit more often and work my way through the sizable roster of pancakes. Or pannekoek, if you want to be linguistically accurate.